


Fools in Love

by hidekaneheadcanons



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst, Blood, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot!Kaneki, mostly angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-22 23:01:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13177038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hidekaneheadcanons/pseuds/hidekaneheadcanons
Summary: Hide and Ken met in a class at Kami University. Hide only knew him as the guy who always wore sweaters and drank black coffee, until Ken started bringing some (very delicious) coffee for Hide as well. Turns out he's the sweetest guy and is packing some serious muscle under all those ugly sweaters, so you can't blame Hide for wanting to date him.Except Hide's boyfriend has a habit of disappearing with no warning and that? Just doesn't work for him.





	Fools in Love

Hide sat in a dull coffee shop tapping his foot and occasionally peeking at his phone to check the time. It was half past ten. Ken was late again. Hide was already on his second cup of coffee, which just racked up his nerves.

Hide sighed heavily, hoping the deep breath would calm his racing heart, then rubbed his palm over his forehead, hoping he could smooth out his furrowed eyebrows and control his expression before Ken finally showed up.

Kaneki Ken. Hide’s boyfriend since his first year of university. He met him in a literature course. It was something Hide took as an elective, since his writing in his essays sucked horribly and lost him some marks. It was an early morning class, which Hide _hated_ , but bared. That is until finals were coming up and Hide was practically dead on his feet, just struggling to keep his eyes open.

Ken sat beside him for most of the semester. He was a quiet guy, though he sometimes spoke up in class when they discussed some of the works, making connections and analyzing things in ways Hide didn’t even know was possible. Other than that, Hide just knew him as the guy who wore a sweater no matter how hot the weather was, and who always seemed to have a cup of coffee in his hands.

It wasn’t until the end of the semester that they started talking. One class, Ken placed a cup of hot coffee by Hide’s head wordlessly and sat in his usually seat, drinking his own and waiting for class to start. It took Hide a few moments to notice, since he had his head down and was nearly passed out.

The coffee was good. It was creamy and really sweet and packed with enough caffeine to get Hide through the morning. In thanks, Hide brought coffee the next class, setting a cup down on the desk where Ken sat. It was black, not a bit of sugar or cream in it. Hide couldn’t understand how anyone would like it like that, but he knew that was how Ken usually seemed to have it.

Ken walked in and paused before he sat down, hesitantly lifting the cup and taking a sip from it. Hide took his smile as a good sign. They didn’t exchange any words that day, but if Hide had to mark a beginning of their friendship, it would have been there.

The exchange continued for the remaining two weeks of classes and Hide managed to convince Ken to give him his number so they could meet up once exams were over. They met in some dull coffee shop just off campus – it was Ken’s choice. Although, Hide did have to admit, they had great coffee.

Hide can’t trace back to the exact moment when he started to think about Ken differently. He just knew it was about two months in, and was definitely caused by how adorably engrossed Ken got when talking about his favorite books. Then there were the soft expressions he made when he let his guard drop, which he was gradually doing more and more around Hide the longer they knew each other. And okay, there were also the muscles Hide _definitely_ didn’t notice until Ken took off one of his sweaters. Hide _swooned._ But he’d already fallen for him at that point, so it wasn’t like it changed anything. Except Hide having a slightly harder time not checking Ken out every time he turned around.

Yet as much as Hide wanted to jump Ken’s bones, it was actually Ken who made the first move. At that point Hide realized that while he had a thing for Ken’s muscular back and arms, Ken definitely had a thing for Hide’s neck and collarbones. That night Hide walked out of Ken’s apartment having gained a boyfriend and more hickies than he could count with both hands.

Maybe the questions should have started when Hide started realizing a few things. Number one: Ken’s neck did not mark no matter how hard Hide sucked on it. Number two: he never saw Ken eat if he didn’t have to. Number three: there was a metallic scent that sometimes clung to Ken’s skin underneath the smell of his soap. Hide wasn’t an idiot. He realized what Ken was back when he noticed number one. However, Hide _was_ a fool in love, so he quite tactfully never mentioned any of it to Ken.

Coincidentally, Ken was also a fool in love. Despite Hide knowing he was a ghoul – and Hide knew Ken knew that he did – he still stuck around. They went on dates, got delicious coffee together, and Hide definitely let Ken put his mouth in places that no human should ever feel comfortable letting a ghoul get near.

But, they were fools in love.

Ken did love him. Hide was sure of that. He could tell by the way Ken looked at him, the way he tenderly kissed Hide after a long day and the way he held Hide so tightly when he slept. Yet despite that, Ken still suddenly dropped out of university and left without a word.

That hurt Hide the most, because not only was Hide hurting, but he knew Ken must have been too. And despite the two of them loving each other, Ken still left and Hide could only feel guilt over all the things he should have said or done.

Five months after Ken’s sudden disappearance, he returned on Hide’s doorstep, covered in blood. Hide just barely managed to drag Ken to the bathroom before he collapsed. He was pale and there were numerous slashes through Ken’s clothes. However, Ken’s skin was smooth and unmarred, so Hide could only assume that he had since healed the wounds that were inflicted on him. Hide stayed up late that night. First he cleaned Ken up, put him in comfortable clothes, and then laid him in bed. The rest of the night he spent cleaning up the blood: the blood on his doorstep and front door, the blood in the kitchen and hallway, and the blood seemingly everywhere in the bathroom.

By the time the sun was rising, Hide was finally ready to head to bed. But apparently, Ken was also ready to wake up. When Hide dragged himself into the bedroom, Ken was blinking his eyes slowly open. Then he noticed Hide and they went wide. Guilt flashed across his features and he opened his mouth.

But Hide interrupted him. “I don’t want to hear it right now.” He was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. “I want an explanation when I wake up.” He curled up beside Ken, not even bothering to pull the blankets over himself. But as he was just dozing off, he felt Ken shift to pull them over him, then Ken wrapped him up in a comfortable embrace.

Hide woke up with Ken at his side. It was old, familiar. Familiar enough that Hide didn’t hesitate to sleepily grope around for Ken’s face so that he could find his lips and kiss him. It was only when Ken stiffened that Hide realized what he was doing. Ken recovered quickly and kissed him back. Hide preferred kissing him over arguing, so he indulged himself for half an hour or so before enough was enough.

He listened to Ken’s shitty apologies in his kitchen over some coffee. Hide forgave him. Two months later Ken disappeared a second time, oh so considerate enough to leave Hide a note that time. At the very least, it promised Ken’s return, but gave no indication of when that would be.

He came back a month later and Hide was rightfully furious. But at the same time he was incredibly relieved. At the very least, he knew Ken was okay, that he was safe from the CCG and other ghouls. That is, until he disappeared again, which he inevitably did only a month later. And to be perfectly honest, Hide spent a lot more time crying with his face stuffed into Ken’s pillow than he would ever like to admit.

Hide, for the briefest of moments, toyed with the idea of getting another boyfriend just to piss him off. _Oh, sorry Ken, didn’t know we weren’t dating anymore? I would have told you, but you weren’t exactly around. Not like you would have responded to my texts or calls anyway._ But no, as upset as Hide was, he didn’t want to hurt Ken like that. Nor did he want to drag some poor guy into his fucked up love life.

So the next time Ken popped up, Hide simply told him it was over. Ken looked crushed. Hide couldn’t bear to look at him like that. It brought tears to his eyes and made him want to go back on what he said. He wanted to pull Ken into his arms and pretend that they were alright. But, they weren’t. So Hide evened his voice the best he could and politely asked Ken to get out of his house.

Another two months passed. By chance, they met in a coffee shop. It was one of Ken’s favourites, and it was by the university, so Hide went there often. Hide had his head buried in a textbook the whole time, so he didn’t notice Ken until he spoke.

“Can I sit?” His voice was quiet and tight with restrained emotion.

Hide froze half-way through flipping a page, then nodded without looking up. He took his time meeting Ken’s gaze, knowing he had to prepare himself or else he would break down the moment he saw his face. Ken looked rough. The circles under his eyes had deepened and his face was pale. Hide felt a pain go through his chest. He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry.” These words held more weight than they did before. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Hide’s stomach flipped and he _hated_ how much he wanted to hear those words. Hide’s voice was rough when he responded. “Yeah? Well, you did just that.”

“I know.” Ken’s jaw clenched and he spoke so only Hide could hear him. “I thought that you would be in danger – and I can’t take my phone; I’m afraid they’d trace it.”

“I’m sure that isn’t the only way you could contact me. Hell, there’s payphones, Ken. You could send me a letter. Literally _anything_ to let me know you’re alive. How am I supposed to know? How do I know when you’re going to come back? If you’re going to come back? How long am I supposed to wait when you up and disappear?” Hide took a deep breath, noting the way Ken was squirming. “I just want to know you’re okay. That’s all I want. I can’t take just sitting around and not knowing.”

Ken glanced up at Hide and asked: “Do you… still love me then?” like it was the most important thing in the world.

“Yeah,” Hide sighed tiredly. “Couldn’t stop even if I tried.” Which he _did_.

Ken reached out hesitantly, brushing his fingers against Hide’s knuckles. “I want to do better. Please let me try again.”

Hide hesitated. “Do you promise?”

Ken nodded. “I won’t – I won’t be able to do it all the time, but I’ll let you know when I’ll be able to get into contact with you next. Maybe every week or so at worst?”

Hide could accept that, as long as Ken followed through. “Okay. Let’s try again.”

Ken kept his promise. When he was gone, he would contact Hide every couple of days. Sometimes he would send Hide letters, but mostly he would call him, his voice gentle. Most of the time he would just listen to Hide talk and give minimal responses. Hide didn’t know if it was because he was around other people, or if he was just exhausted. Maybe it was both.

They never really had a lengthy talk about the whole ghoul thing. Hide supposed it was a sensitive topic, so he just made sure to be loving and accepting about Ken’s special circumstances. Eventually, Hide learned what Ken did during all that time he was gone.

Apparently, there was a whole series of tunnels under Tokyo that the general public didn’t know about. The tunnels were made by ghouls many years ago in an effort to hide from the CCG and the rest of society. The tunnels were something of a labyrinth and very few knew their way around them. However, Ken did and he regularly guided ghouls who were trying to escape the CCG through them. They would stay in the tunnels for weeks, waiting for the heat to die down. Other times, they were simply a way to transport ghouls or human meat to different locations.

Ken would go when he was needed, but spent as much time as he could at home with Hide. Hide liked it a lot better when Ken was around, but he understood why he had to leave so often. During that time, Hide treasured those little letters and phone calls. And very, very occasionally, Hide would bus to some random part of the city that Ken specified and get coffee with him. It was always such a relief to see him.

Currently, that was what Hide was doing in the coffee shop, nervously tapping his foot against the ground and his fingers against his coffee cup. He hadn’t physically seen Ken for an entire three months and _now_ he was late. Hide tried to force down the feeling that something might have happened to him, but it just wasn’t working. It didn’t help that he knew Ken would feel guilty if he saw him so stressed out over something _so_ simple, but he just couldn’t help it.

The door to the coffee shop opened and Ken came in, breathing a little heavily, his hair askew. He had clearly run there. His eyes searched the coffee shop and Hide gave a small wave when they landed on him. Both of them visibly relaxed.

“Hey, it’s been a while.” Ken walked over and took a seat across from him. “I missed you.”

Hide smiled. “I missed you too. And yeah, it has.” He couldn’t help the pout on his face. “How… how much longer are you going to be?”

“Just another couple weeks, hopefully.” Ken’s expression was thoughtful. “But it’s been so long, I couldn’t help but want to see you.”

Hide wanted to see him too. He wanted to be held in his arms and hear his voice beside his ear instead of through a phone. Hide swallowed thickly and reached over the table, taking Ken’s hand in his. He felt the warmth from it. Ken gave his hand a squeeze and Hide’s breath hitched. But, he wouldn’t let his tears fall. Not there or then. Hide would cry in happiness and relief when Ken finally came home.

“Sorry,” Ken whispered.

Hide just shook his head and leaned forward. The table was uncomfortable and jutted against his hips, but the kiss was long overdue. It was Ken’s tears that Hide felt against his cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> I just... love oneshot!Kaneki so much. Kind of curious if people would like to see me write Haise next?


End file.
